Brooks Saddles

So MANY TE women like Brooks saddles! I must admit, I NEVER looked at them UNTIL I kept reading about how great they are here on TE. I have scanned past posts and made notes of what models people like. I measured my sit bones and compared ... now I am CONFUSED!! :confused: :eek:

Per website, seems I would use a B17N, Swift, or Finese. I base this on: My sit bones are a just over 5 inches, or 130 - 135 cm. I like a long narrow nose to avoid thigh rub when I pedal. I ride a standard road bike.

So, for all you Brooks-Lovers ... here is my question: Is there anyone out there who is similar to me and what saddle to you like?!! :confused:

Thanks, in advance, for your opinions/comments/input!!! :cool: :D

First, read this thread:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=14348

Then I suggest you CALL the good people at Wallingford- they can really help you decide which Brooks saddle will be just right for you.
http://www.wallbike.com/index.php

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.

First, read this thread:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=14348

Then I suggest you CALL the good people at Wallingford- they can really help you decide which Brooks saddle will be just right for you.
http://www.wallbike.com/index.php

---

Lisa -- thanks, I have read the TE thread AND I have visited Wallingford. It is Wallingford that gave me the suggested saddles mentioned ... just hoped there were ACTUAL WOMEN on TE that were riding these saddles ... the more info the better! :D :cool: ;)

that would be me. There are also men that like them.

They were designed in the times where MANY people rode bikes all day as their main transportation. Human anatomy hasn't changed in the last 100 years, so we're in luck.
Now the major points in saddle design are focussed on making them lightweight, with comfort being secondary.

Even 100 year old British companies change some, so they have modernized and lightened their saddles without jeapardizing their comfort.

I am no help in the saddle dept, as I have the extra-wide sit bones and ride a B67.

The dimples on my B67 are beatifully within the limits of the steel frame: right out on the leather with a nice margin so I don't sit over the metal frame even when I scootch around.

My 2 cents (bear in mind I'm a wide, so I'm biased): I would get the B17 rather than the B17N, so you do have at *least* 1 cm margin on each side so your sitbones can be cradled by the leather, rather than perching dangerously close to the metal frame.

Ride for a month or so and if you hate it and feel it's just too wide, send it back. If not, ride for another couple months. You have six months with Wallingford, and that's a beautiful thing. You can't lose.

Kitsune06 started off with one of the narrower saddles, but now I think she's on a B17 and likes it better. She also has fairly narrow sitbones. Maybe contact her?

Nose length/width: even my wide-load Brooks has a long and very narrow nose. Very comfortable. (I'm one of the folks who chafes on the wider noses) The "S" saddles ("short" for women) have short noses. Not such a nice thing as far as I'm concerned. If you know you like a longer nose, don't even bother with the "S" or "women's" versions of the various saddles.

I concur completely with Knot on all points made forthwith.
:D

Hi,
I just got a Brooks Saddle a few weeks ago. I must say I was surprised how hard it was. I got the B17 because I'm 5/9 ,and weigh 125 (very skinny butt). Anyway, I'm impressed how smooth the saddle is ,and I don't have the rubbing on my soft tissue as I had with the other stock saddles,but the nose is hard ,and I do feel pressure. I'm still getting used to it ,and my crotch gets sore ,but not raw like it was. I do believe it will work out OK. I've put about 110 miles on it. I have 6 months to get it right....I have it totally level on the bike ,and I get pressure on my soft tissue. I may have to tilt it up just slightly. Good luck

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by suzieqtwa

I have it totally level on the bike ,and I get pressure on my soft tissue. I may have to tilt it up just slightly. Good luck

---

Two things to check:
1. Tilting it up might not do what you want for the soft tissue. Try tilting the nose down, too. Check your back posture. Are you arching your back or rolling your pelvis forward? Are your sitbones landing on the widest part of the saddle or would you get a better platform with the saddle slid forward more? Are your bars too low, forcing you off your sitbones and onto your soft tissues?

2. Is the part of the B17 where your sitbones like to be wide enough? what is your sitbone measurement? (height and weight really have nothing much to do with the width of a woman's pelvic outlet) Is the B17 the right saddle for you?

Try #1 first, and if near the end of your 6 months you're still weightbearing on soft tissue try taking a second look at #2.

Wallingford was great with phone calls and emails as I was adjusting my Brooks. :D Bill and Diane are so cool!

My sits bones are about 5 1/2 inches apart. My butt fits quite comfortable on the saddle. Am I supposed to arch my back ,and roll my pelvis forward.
My question? does the soft tissue also have that breaking in period? Will I get used to it in time. Its only on the right side. No breaking of skin or chafing ,just the hard nose putting pressure. I slide a bit forward ,but my wrist dont hurt. Im on a pilot WSD ,so Im a bit more upright . I really want this one to work for me.

no, soft tissue does NOT break in, nor do you want it to. When the seat is properly adjusted, the only time you're going to feel your soft tissue unpleasantly is if you go over a big bad bump.

You should NOT arch your back, and you should NOT roll your pelvis forward.

You want a flat back and a neutral pelvis. Play with your postion (just by controlling your posture) on the bike. Flatten your lower belly muscles (transversus abdominus) and see what happens.

Can't find my tape measure, but looks like 5 1/2 inches is about 140mm. Give a minimum 1 cm margin to each sit bone gives us 160 mm. The B17 is 177mm.

Yeah, I'd bet there's something to play with for your posture, or the nose of the saddle is tilted up too high. Or the saddle is too far back on the seatpost. (slide the saddle forward a cm or two, not yourself, and see how that feels)

Mimi, what do you think? 5 1/2 inch sitbones on a B17? Should be fine, right?

I have the B17 S and love it. I probably could have gone with the regular B17, but glad I stuck with the B17 S, I like the shorter nose. It did not take long at all to "break" in. I would have gone with the Finese if I could have afforded it, but I it was not in the budget and I do not regret my B17 S at all. :)

Suzie, didn't you say that you have previously tended to ride with your weight on the nose of your saddle? Is it possible that you are still trying to break this habit?
I would think if you are feeling a need to scoot back in the saddle then it's one of two things: a)the saddle nose is a bit too low, or b)you need to push your saddle BACK 1/4 to 1/2 inch (back as in towards the back of your bike).

I think this saddle is going to be just right for you once you get the fine tuning down. It took me a couple months to get to know the exact optimal position for my saddle. You're a fast, lightweight and long-boned rider who is going to be doing long distances...a good Brooks candidate if I ever saw one! ;)

By the way, my "Spring season sitbone soreness" is totally gone now.

I just rode 30 miles ,and I actually didn't feel to bad. I love the feel of the saddle. My sits bones don't hurt at all. I pretty much stay in the same spot until I start to hurt ,then I scoot around a bit. Lisa ,I would think if I am scooting back I would move the seat forward...right. I am not riding the nose of the saddle although I want too sometimes, Right now its just about level with a very slight tilt downward. The nose just seems to hit me in a bad spot. At about mile 25 I started to get sore. If I tilt it down I slide forward ,and there is too much pressure on my wrist.

Yes, Knot, I think the size is fine. I think it's a postural issue, Suzie.

It's got to be really frustrating for you!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by suzieqtwa

Lisa ,I would think if I am scooting back I would move the seat forward...right....If I tilt it down I slide forward ,and there is too much pressure on my wrist.

---

Ok, so if we first assume that the nose is NOT tipped down too much- you have it tipped up enough to keep you from sliding forward, right?
With that assumption...we can move to the question of saddle forward or back.
If you feel you need to scoot back on your saddle frequently, is it perhaps because it makes you feel better balanced weight-wise over your center of gravity?
With the seat forward, your center of gravity is shifted forward as well, more over your pedals, and the extreme would produce a feeling of falling forward onto your hands.
Moving the seat BACK will shift your weight and center of gravity back more, behind your crank and pedals. It can give you more pedaling power, but the extreme would produce a less upright back and perhaps a reach problem to the hoods, etc.
...Just my humble opinions.

Here's a good general article about saddles by Sheldon Brown:
http://sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html
And here's a good article about saddle positions by Peter White:
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

Both Sheldom and Peter are highly respected bike guys. :cool:

Suzie - can you ride on a flat safe place, and mess around with your posture a bit?

I can get my soft bits to hit my Brooks if I let go of my core muscles and let my belly-button collapse toward my top-tube, which rolls my pelvis like it's a bowl I'm tipping forward and pouring water onto my top-tube.

Can you try "tipping your bowl" backwards, as though you were trying to keep water from spilling forward? Or think of tucking your tail under, or of rolling your tailbone toward the seat, or whatever mental trick will get you into pelvic-neutral?

Regardless of whether you are in drops or on flats/hoods, your pelvis should be in neutral. (the angle of your back will change, but your pelvis shouldn't)

If you can do this trick somewhere safe, try it and see if it takes the pressure off your soft bits. You will probably feel like you are clenching your stomach muscles and working very hard to hold a very weird position, but try it anyway.

If it takes the pressure off your soft bits, you might want to look into some core exercises or just try riding a few minutes at a time in the new posture. I tend to think doing a beloved sport in a posture does more for a person than doing core exercises, but that's just me...

What I'm thinking might be part of the issue is called "anterior pelvic tilt." It's more a girl thing than a boy thing (though I have treated a few male patients with anterior tilt. lemme tell ya, they don't want anyone telling them to fix THEIR posture!!!)

Women who hold themselves in an anterior pelvic tilt tend also to lock their knees when they stand and to think they have big butts (which they don't) because the tilt jutts their haunches out behind them. They also often think their tummies are poochy/fat (again it's posture, not paunch!). Often their low backs are held in a pretty tight curve. (and they pronate, sprain their ankles, have knee pain, low back/hip pain, etc. )

I worked with a therapist who always started by looking at how the patient held their posture relative to the pelvis, so that's my bias too.

Take my lecture with a grain of salt!:D

Suzie, I had the problem you describe on my finesse, and found that I have to tilt the nose down a tad. Actually, I place my level on the nose, i.e. the front ~4 cm , and make that be level, with the result that the rear is a bit raised and that did the trick for me. I also found that the nose did 'break in' as well over time.

Seat forward, seat backward... oh boy!

If you are scooting back on the seat to try to find the most comfortable spot for your sit bones, slide the saddle forward on the rails to bring that sweet spot under you.

If you are scooting back to try to make your legs and balance comfortable, slide the saddle backward to keep the sweet spot with you as you change your geometry relative to the cranks and bars.

I think Knot is right about the "tipping the bowl" pelvis tilt thing, Suzie. The fact that your sitbones haven't gotten sore at all on your new Brooks, but your girly bits are very sore, strongly suggests that you are not tilting your pelvis in a way that puts your weight on your sitbones where it belongs. Do try to tuck that tail bone in and under, consciously put your seat weight on your sitbones by tilting your pelvis and pulling your stomach in. I like that vision Knot described of keeping your pelvic "bowl" from tipping water onto your top tube! ;)

Oh, by the way! being in pelvic neutral will probably make you feel like the reach from saddle to bars is too long. Don't worry about it (yet ;) ) Just try seeing how the soft bits feel when you change the tilt of your pelvis.:D

Thank you so much ladies for all the advise. Tomorrow I will get up early ,and try about 30 miles. I dont fall anymore ,and am quiet comfortable with the clipless pedals. I dont even think about it anymore. I understand about the pelivis thing. Pulling my pelvis in pulls my girly bits up ,and away from the nose. Its not awful on the saddle ,but I know it can be better. I just got done moving the saddle forward. If that doesnt work Ill move it back.
Ill check back in tomorrow.

And don't forget Suzie- every change you make may feel odd at first! Your body needs to adjust to each change before you can really tell if it's a good change or not. Ideally, one should do a few rides with each change, and only make one small change at a time.
For me, last year what seemed like a just right reach to the hoods now seemed a bit too short and cramped, so I changed stems. I think my core muscles got a little stronger and so balancing my weight became a little easier for me.